Alpha Wax

Latest updates

January 2018

EU says No to Palm Oil for Biofuels. Candles will be next.

*The European Parliament decided to phase-out the use of Palm Oil in transport fuels by 2021.
EU lawmakers also decided to cap other crop-based biofuels, such as soy and rapeseed, at the 2017 consumption levels until a complete ban on the use of vegetable oils in transport fuels by 2030.

Although environmentalists agree that plant-based fuels burn cleaner at the pipe, the concerns over biofuels’ ties to environmental destruction, human rights violations and impact on food prices have dampened the enthusiasm over what was once seen as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Biodiesel from virgin vegetable oil leads to around 80% higher emissions than the fossil diesel it replaces, when accounting for the loss of carbon sinks such as peat lands, paired with the destruction of forests. Palm Oil has the highest greenhouse gas emissions of all the sources of biofuel for transport.

Europe might be a frontrunner, but a similar movement could happen in the US where the Renewable Fuel Standard program has resulted in a surge of biofuels from corn and soy. The rationale of this program was that biofuels would be cleaner and reduce the need for foreign oil. However, this program also helped to ignite a food-versus-fuel debate as opponents say land could be used to grow food instead of crops.

At Alpha Wax, we estimate that the EU ban on Palm Oil will have the same consequences for the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils in candles, sooner or later. Already today, we see an increasing number of candle makers opposed to the use of Palm, Soy or Rapeseed (Canola) as a raw material for their candles for environmental and social ethical reasons, despite that vegetable feedstock can yield favourable pricing.

To facilitate this trend, Alpha Wax has developed a selection of high quality, tailor made wax blends for the production of glass-filled and stand-alone candles, free of any vegetable or animal fat ingredients. These wax blends contain only the newest and most innovative synthetic waxes available, resulting in maximum performance.

You can find these waxes on our Products Page under Carisma Jar T02, T06 or T08, or contact our Sales Department for further details.*